Release 2.19r
Heathcote Trophy Simple Systems
Heathcote Trophy Simple Systems

This year's  Heathcote Trophy (Simple Systems) took place on Wednesday 11th March. Congratulations  to the winning pair of  Don Haines & Tim Emmott with the runners up Kath & Glenn Chivers. A very good turnout of 12 tables too,

AGM 2026

At the 2026 AGM we welcomed our incoming Chair Iwan Williams and our incoming House Chair Liz Foster. In addition we now have two new committee members Rosie Fraser and Kath Chivers, our new President Diana Roberts and a new Trustee Mike Hopkins. Please support them in their new roles and those continuing their existing roles. The AGM also thanked those completing their terms of office too. Their commitment is very much appreciated.

Agnes Baxter Funeral

Very sad to advise that Agnes Baxter passed away on Thursday 26th February. Our thoughts are with her husband Peter and family. Agnes was a long term Olicana member but played mostly at Harrogate and Wetherby. The funeral will be at All Saints' Parish Church in Ledsham LS25 5LR on Thursday 26th March at 3pm  (note change of time).

February 2026 Masterpoint Promotions

 Congratulations to our members who have achieved the following promotions

Club Master Carol Southby 

County Master Kevin Sullivan & Tony Hughes 

New Parking Charges

On street parking around the club no longer has one hour's free parking and charges will apply up to 8pm. Please allow extra time if you need to buy a parking ticket. Note these new charges now apply including immediately outside the club. 

If you plan to use the RingGo App to pay we suggest you download this in advance from Playstore or Apple App Store but don't go via a Google Web link . There are reports of scam QR codes on local meters so please be careful. 

Teams Training

Bernard Burns is continuing his Teams Training sessions on Thursday running from 10am to around 12.15pm (ish) on most Thursday mornings. Come with or without a partner. Free training to anyone wanting to improve their card play both in declaring and in defence. All very welcome. 

Play it Again

There is a very useful FREE feature available to everyone on our website called Play it Again. You can select any hand and literally play it through card by card to work out how you might have made that tricky contract or maybe defended it better. If you haven't tried it see Play it Again

Cow and Calf In Ilkley

Personal Accounts

Members can log in to see their own personal account which shows sessions played, outstanding balances and payments made. Note payments can be made by bank transfer or by cheque but not cash please. Any queries to our Treasurer Louise Johnson. Please note that payments made are updated weekly onto the personal account.

Health and Safety Policy

This is the current Health and Safety Policy version 3.0. Players with mobility issues should note Appendix One Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan. POLICY

Welcome to Olicana Bridge Club
FRIENDLY BRIDGE CLUB IN ILKLEY
FRIENDLY BRIDGE CLUB IN ILKLEY

Located in the centre of Ilkley, we are pleased to welcome  members and visitors to our well established club. Each week, there will usually be eight sessions in the club at 12 Wells Promenade. These are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings with play starting at 7pm, Monday and Wednesday mornings at 10am and on Monday, Thursday and Friday afternoons at 1.45pm. There will be pivot teams on the second Friday evening and students social sessions on occasional Fridays at 7pm. We also run two on-line sessions each week on Monday (BBO) and Thursday (Real Bridge) at 7.15pm.  Please see the calendar and competitions for more details of all of our events.

Our Monday morning, Monday afternoon and Wednesday morning sessions are guided and hosted. They are designed for less experienced players and do not earn Masterpoints.

We would politely request visitors to arrive 15 minutes before the session starts and all members to be seated in good time to assist the TD and scorer to set up the movement. Upon arrival please remember to switch all mobile devices to silent. Please bring a system card to all masterpoint sessions.

We will invoice players for all sessions played and this will normally be  £2.75 members, £3.75 non members. Members can log in to see their own personal account. Please settle your accounts promptly by BACS if at all possible (otherwise by cheque). As our bank now charges for cash deposits we can no longer accept payment by cash.

Note our session on  Mondays  at 10am is specifically designed for novice players. Guided, at a gentle pace, playing 14 - 16  boards with no masterpoints. Ideal for those completing their year two classes. Hosted, so you can come without a partner.

Yorkshire League 2025/26 Final Matches
Yorkshire League 2025/26 Final Matches

The  final round of the 2025/26 teams of eight winter season will be on Sunday 29th March and this is the current  state of play

A team are currently fifth in Division 1. A solid performance against Harrogate A away will mean they will remain in Division 1 next season which will be a good effort given their promotion last year.

B team are currently top of division 3 but only 1 VP seperates the top three. However as second and third placed teams play each other a win against Wensleydale at home will see them promoted

C team are currently third in division 5 but the top two play each other so again a good win against York D at home may secure promotion.

D team  are currently top of division 6 and are already promoted. They only need to secure 4 VPs to be champions in their final match against Huddersfield D away.

E team are currently mid table but still have two matches to play. Their penultimate match is at home to  Brighouse B. They would need two comprehensive wins to have a shot at promotion.

Fixture list and results can be reviewed at RESULTS  (scroll through to see each division). 

EBU National Pairs
EBU National Pairs

67 Olicana members have qualified for the Northern Regional Final to be played on Sunday 22nd March.  All qualifiers have been notified directly by the EBU and they can enter the Regional Final being played on both Real Bridge and BBO via this link REGIONAL FINAL ENTRY  Entry is via Oliver Cowan and costs £26 per pair 

Northern Easter Festival
Northern Easter Festival

The Northern Easter Festival takes place on Saturday 4th April and Sunday 5th April at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Harrogate. There are Swiss Pairs and a Nine High Swiss Pairs on the Saturday and Swiss Teams on the Sunday. For full details including how to enter see Northern Easter Congress 2026  and 9 High Swiss

Guided Bridge

We run three sessions of Guided Bridge each week for less experienced players in the club on Monday morning (10am start), Monday afternoon (1.45pm start) and Wednesday morning (9.55am start). So do come along and enjoy a friendly, relaxed session lasting about two hours. There is a host available for our guided bridge sessions so you don't need a partner. Note no masterpoints at these sessions. 

Our next Stepping Stones  in  the Club will be on ​​​Friday 20th  March at 7pm. Specifically for those making the transition to playing bridge in a Club setting but open to anyone wanting a gentle, social and supportive bridge evening, No partner required and a bar is available. No masterpoints.

System cards

Please note that for all sessions awarding masterpoints at least one player from each pair should have a system card. If you don't currently have one please see System Cards   This will assist our TDs in resolving any queries. Many thanks.

Playing on line in Club events

Most weeks we have two on line Duplicate Pairs earning master points. Typically, we run a 20 board Duplicate Pairs on BBO  on Monday evening starting at 7.15pm and Thursday evening Duplicate  Pairs on Real Bridge at 7.15pm. Detailed instructions on how to play in each event can be downloaded from the links below. 

How to play in BBO club room

How to play on Real Bridge

Note direct links to the Real Bridge sessions will be posted on the calendar entry at least 24 hours before the event to simplify login.

The Real Bridge Support Team has provided notes on resolving  problems using Real Bridge. Click HERE for more information.

Calendar
17th March 2026
Duplicate Pairs
19.00
18th March 2026
Morning Guided Pairs
10.00
HOST AVAILABLE
18th March 2026
Duplicate Pairs
19.00
HOST AVAILABLE
19th March 2026
Afternoon Duplicate Pairs
13.45
  (Partner?)
Results
Morning Guided Pairs
Director: Tony Hughes
Scorer: Tony Hughes
Afternoon Guided Pairs
Director: Janet Souyave
Scorer: Susan Fisk
BBO Duplicate Pairs
Scorer: Oliver Cowan
Afternoon Duplicate Pairs
Director: Iwan Williams
Scorer: Rosie Fraser
Afternoon Duplicate Pairs
Director: Nick Beeson
Scorer: Malcolm Harding